In a few weeks, WSDOT will open the new off-ramps from the brand new West Approach Bridge North. This will be the very first time westbound drivers travel on the new structure and use the new off-ramps to Montlake Boulevard and Lake Washington Boulevard.

The new off-ramps are scheduled to open mid-July and the new westbound lanes from the floating bridge to Montlake are scheduled to open in late August.

The opening of the new WABN bridge structure will take place in phases so that crews can remove the existing ramps to make space for the mainline construction.

As we get closer to this change, we will send more detailed information with graphics, videos, weekend work impacts and the specific date of the off-ramp opening. Be sure to stay in the loop by reading these email updates, following us on twitter, visiting our website and joining us for our regular, public meeting on Wednesday, July 12, at the Graham Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.

Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect when the exit lane and off-ramps open:

A westbound SR 520 closure from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday the weekend before the westbound off-ramps open.

Round-the-clock work during the westbound SR 520 closure.

An earlier exit for the new westbound SR 520 off-ramps, closer to the western end of the floating bridge (before the sentinel).

Continued construction access via the 24th Avenue East bridge as crews use the MOHAI staging area through the end of the project.

For more information about the 520 Bridge visit:

• Email WABN staff with your questions about the project or construction activities.

• Join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 12, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Graham Visitors Center.

• Visit the SR 520 Orange Page for the most up-to-date information on closures and construction impacts.

Our project team and other City staff will be in attendance to listen and answer your questions about the project. This is also an opportunity to learn more about Ben Zamora’s work, the artist chosen to create public works of art along the Madison St corridor.

Madison Street BRT will become RapidRide G Line!

Madison Street BRT, which will become Metro RapidRide G Line, is the latest RapidRide line to begin service in Seattle. We anticipate Madison Street BRT (RapidRide G Line) service will begin in late 2019.

Anonymous (2:01 pm Mar 7)There is also a BRT preview right IN our neighborhood on Wednesday!
Here's the info from the Community Council FB page:
Join us for the quarterly meeting of the Madison Valley Community Council on March 8th at 7:00pm at the MLK FAME Center.
Madison BRT: A DOT spokesperson will present updated design plans for the Madison BRT followed by a question and answer period.
We will also be:
Reviewing and ratifying our new by-laws
Electing any new board members interested in joining us
Planning spring projects, such as backyard harvesting
Have other topics? Send them to us at info@madisonvalleycommunitycouncil.org.

All SR 520 lanes and ramps between Montlake Boulevard and 92nd Avenue NE are scheduled to close from 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, to 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12. The SR 520 trail on the floating bridge will also be closed.

• Nighttime construction lights.• Truck deliveries.• Noise from construction activities as crews remove the old off-ramp. Crews may use impact equipment to remove the old off-ramp but will end all impact activities by 10 p.m. each day.

A temporary noise variance will be in place to complete this work. WSDOT inspectors will be onsite to verify that construction activities comply with our contract and the conditions of the city of Seattle noise variance.

This is a friendly reminder to join us at this month’s West Approach Bridge North (WABN) monthly public meeting on December 7 in Seattle. At this meeting, we will provide a presentation and opportunity to learn more about current WABN construction activities, as well as the next phase of SR 520 construction, known as the Montlake Phase. The Montlake Phase, which is scheduled to begin in 2018, includes the West Approach Bridge South (WABS) and Montlake lid and land bridge.

The project team plans to provide a PowerPoint presentation with key project updates. Meeting attendees will also be able to ask questions regarding this next phase of SR 520 construction in Seattle.

Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service will provide public transportation between Martin Luther King Jr Way in Madison Valley and First Avenue downtown. The project received design feedback from the public in August and is incorporating this feedback into the next design milestone, scheduled for early 2017. Subsequently, the project will move forward with the environmental review process and engage property owners, businesses, and residents to develop a construction phasing plan. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2018.

Deborah Christensen (10:53 am Nov 17)This is fine as long as the existing Route 11 stays intact as it is our lifeline to Madison Park, the Pike-Pine Neighborhood shopping/restaurant district, the theatre/convention center district, and Westlake ares.

Starting as soon as Thursday, September 29, crews plan to begin temporary lane restrictions at 23rd Ave and E Madison St in order to start paving the intersection. While some travel lanes on E Madison St will be closed during this work, crews will keep two-way eastbound and westbound traffic on E Madison St open. As a reminder, access from E Madison St to northbound 23rd Ave is now closed to traffic. The full northbound closure with detour to Martin Luther King Jr Way from E Union St to E John St will remain in place until the completion of construction in early 2017. Southbound 23rd Ave remains open.

The purpose of the E Madison St lane restrictions is to maintain access to businesses and residences and reduce how many full intersection closures at 23rd Ave and E Madison St intersection will be required. Crews will complete this work during regular business hours, but the lane restrictions will stay in place over the weekend to keep drivers from entering the unfinished work zone. This work is expected to last for multiple weeks. See the flyer for more information, and please stay tuned for schedule updates.Bus stops for King County Metro routes that travel east and west through the intersection on E Madison St, including routes 11 and 84, may be temporarily shifted around the work zone during this work. Please look for posted alerts at your bus stop, sign up for Transit Alerts, or call Metro at 206-553-3000 for more information.

Crews anticipate upcoming intersection work at 23rd Ave and E John St

Sometime over the next couple of weeks, crews will install pole foundations at the 23rd Ave and E John St intersection. Due to the location of energized trolley wires over the intersection, this work may require temporary lane shifts or intersection closures. We will share more information once the work and schedule details are confirmed.

Other reminders

Artist Martha Jackson Jarvis is in Seattle this week to prepare the new public artwork that will be installed at the southeast corner of 23rd Ave and E Union St.

Neighbors can expect intermittent closures of E Olive St (on the east side of 23rd Ave) and E Pine St (on the west side of 23rd Ave) over the next few weeks as roadway demolition, paving, and sidewalk work continues.

Temporary driveway and sidewalk closures are ongoing as crews continue work in Zone C, from E Union St to E John St. Please use caution and pay attention to sidewalk closures and pedestrian detours.

The Office of Economic Development is continuing to work with businesses to address their needs. If you have questions, please email or call Michael Wells at michael.wells@seattle.gov or 206-684-8612.

As a quick update, the sentinels, which mark the beginning and end of the world’s longest floating bridge, are being illuminated Thursday night, Sept 1. Although a portion of the sentinels are already lit (see green circle, right) the fixtures that shine up onto the sentinels from the pontoons (see blue circle) will complete the lighting elements.

Crews will test the new fixtures for about one week. During this period, you may see a rainbow of colors as the lights cycle though different colors. After the testing is complete, the lights will default to teal when active from dusk to dawn.

The Lake Washington Greenway organizers need your help to select which route will become the neighborhood greenway between Madison St and Boyer Ave. This is the route that will be engineered to best accommodate bicyclists and pedestrian traffic. After you finish reading the pros and cons, send your choice of route A, B or C to Lauren Squires.

If you have additional comments about car, bicycle, and pedestrian routes north of Madison St please let them know—they’d love to hear your ideas!

Wednesday night, August 24, Madison Valley residents held a well attended meeting at Bailey-Boushay House regarding this project. Bob Edmiston of Madison Greenways and David Rodgers, a traffic engineer with MIG lead the meeting.

What is a Greenway?

A greenway is a route engineered to be bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Our previous article on greenways can be read here.

What is this project?

This project is to select, and subsequently design, the route that will be the best bicycle and pedestrian connection between East Madison St and Montlake.

What is the project timeline?

Is there funding for implementation?

No, this project does not currently have funding for implementation. The community will apply for grants for elements of implementation, and will work to encourage SDOT to incorporate the route improvements into the annual budget in future years.

How was this process funded?

Residents applied for the 2016 Park and Streets fund, and were awarded grant money to pay the traffic engineer, MIG, for their help. In addition, community volunteers have spent hundreds of hours talking with residents, mapping routes, studying future SDOT/WDOT plans, and counting cars and bikes.

The Data, So Far

To fully understand the traffic patterns in the neighborhood a study was performed this spring. The study measured vehicle speeds, volumes, route slopes, bicycle counts, and more.

Arterial Streets

This map shows the high-traffic arterial streets through the neighborhood.

Potential Greenway Routes

Again, here we see the three routes being considered as the North/South connection. I have labeled them A, B, and C for easy identification.

This map shows the number of cars traveling along the three potential routes each day. 28th Ave East has the most traffic, and this makes sense given the traffic light at Madison and the 28th/MLK intersection.

Vehicle Speeds

On this map we can see where cars are traveling fastest.

Daily Bicycle Traffic

The same route that carries the most cars also carries the most bikes. It’s interesting to note Route B is also the Lake Washington Loop Trail — an existing, well-known bike route.

Hybrid of B and C would be best! (8:22 am Aug 31)As a resident of the area and a regular user of these streets (by foot, bike, and car), I will start by saying how happy I am that we are having this conversation. We should always do our best to make our streets functional and safe for all the users - especially the bikers and walkers.
It seems that both options B and C are good options. However, I do think that a slight modification of the potential options would bring the best of both worlds to the table. If option C continued up Roy (a block before Madison) and then turned left along the B path to Madison, it seems this would create the best possible option for pedestrians, users of the new play fields, and also the bikers who would benefit from the stoplight at Madison. This would allow for option C to fulfill its greatest benefit - that being that it only has side traffic coming from one direction as Washington Park creates the boundary on the other side, and allowing for an existing stoplight for crossing Madison.
In closing, if the options are set in stone as proposed, then I feel option C is the best - especially if a traffic light were an option at Madison.

Madison Valley Bike Commuter (12:03 pm Aug 29)As a daily bike commuter, I (and most cyclists) tend to avoid hills as much as I can (i.e. no one rides south on MLK, everyone rides south on 27th, so it was such a waste to put a bike path on MLK which is so busy and steep).
Small neighborhood streets where cars can come from the left or the right to knock you out (they don't stop for bikes all the time) are dangerous for bikers. So I would suggest Option B or C, since they minimize cross streets and hills.
Please don't add those massive berms that cross the entire street as they are uncomfortable to bike over. If they can leave a gap in the middle, or a wider one on the sides, then bikes can go around them.

James Drage (9:50 am Aug 29)Thanks for taking this on. I ride route C regularly (at least once a day, often twice). I prefer this over route B because it doesn't have the four-way stop sign. One other note: the street is pretty narrow right along the Arboretum, because cars park on both sides of the street. So I think the only change I would propose is to disallow parking on one side or the other along 29th between Helen and Roy, to allow for two lanes of traffic. Thanks again!

Shane Repking (9:17 pm Aug 27)First of all, I would like to thank you for your efforts in what will be a great improvement for the neighborhood!
I am an avid cyclist. I have been riding my bike to work for the past 15 years, and regularly take my family on rides from 26th Ave E and Madison to the Burke Gilman, or south to Seward Park or Madison Park Beach.
I think that route B is the best route. Here are my thoughts.
1. It connects downtown Montlake to the commercial in Madison Valley. Everyone in Montlake is going to want to ride thier bikes to our new PCC:)
2. If you are doing the Lake Washington Route, this is the most direct route to link up north of 520, and you avoid that hill.
3. Let me stress the importance of avoiding that hill. People are going to end up going on 28th and 26th even if you put that greenway in on 25th, just to avoid that hill. Especially if they have a family in tow, which is exactly who we should have in mind when we are talking about protected lanes.
4. I think that people drive too fast along 28th/26th to Boyer as it is. This is a residential neighborhood with lots of kids. We need to slow people down. Because this is the most heavily used route by car, we will be making the biggest impact to slow people down.
Thank you!

Michael Lindell (7:38 pm Aug 26)For bicycle or foot traffic between Boyer and Madison, there is an existing Lake Washington Loop Trail, an existing path/sidewalk on the west side of Lake Washington Blvd that connects to a path through the Washington Park Playfield, and the Arboretum Loop Trail that is under construction.
I think it is important to consider the incremental value of the proposed Lake Washington Greenway to the infrastructure that already exists or is currently under construction. By that criterion, Route A seems to be the least desirable (street slopes make it even more problematic for young cyclists) and Route C has no apparent advantage over the existing bike route (Route B).

Plan ahead for a full weekend closure of SR 520 and local street closures from Aug. 26 to 29. Here is the closure map.

SR 520 is scheduled to close from I-5 to 92nd Avenue Northeast between 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26 and 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29. This closure differs slightly from other SR 520 closures as eastbound SR 520 is scheduled to close between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard. Below are the key details about the planned closure.

Eastbound SR 520

* All eastbound SR 520 lanes and ramps from I-5 to 92nd Avenue Northeast, including the Portage Bay Bridge, are scheduled to close.

* Please note that vehicles will not have access to Montlake from I-5 via eastbound SR 520.

* The bicycle and pedestrian path on the new floating bridge is scheduled to close.

Westbound SR 520

* All westbound SR 520 lanes and ramps between 92nd Avenue Northeast and Montlake Boulevard East are scheduled to close.

During the weekend, I-90 and express lanes will be open for alternative routes. Travelers are encouraged to use transit and carpools.

Local Street Closures

Single-lane closures are also scheduled to take place on Montlake Boulevard East between East Roanoke Street and Shelby Street as WABN crews complete grinding and paving work. Crews plan to close single lanes of Montlake Boulevard from:

Crews will convert the existing westbound carpool lane to a general-purpose lane farther east on the floating bridge. Doing this allows for a smoother merge farther west where the three westbound lanes on the new floating bridge transition to two lanes on the old west approach bridge.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) through the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund are partnering with the Arboretum Neighbors for Safe Streets and Madison Valley Greenways neighborhood groups to study traffic safety improvements and routes for a neighborhood greenway connecting the Montlake and Madison Valley neighborhoods. Join us at our first open house to share you ideas for this study on Wednesday, August 24th. We are eager to hear more from our fellow neighbors who who live, work, shop and play along these streets.

The Seattle Bicycle Master Plan recommends a neighborhood greenway along the Lake Washington Loop in the vicinity of 26th Ave E. and 28th Ave E, between East Harrison and Boyer Ave E. During the summer of 2016, we are studying potential neighborhood greenway routes, identifying traffic safety improvements and developing a conceptual design. This is a neighborhood-lead study and construction is currently not funded.

This is the first of two meetings on the neighborhood greenway. The first meeting shares traffic data and helps us understand where people want to walk and bike and barriers to doing so. At the second meeting we will share the results of technical analysis and public comment and the most promising route with recommended safety improvements.

Seattle is building a network of neighborhood greenways. Greenways are safer, calmer streets for you, your family and neighbors. On streets with low car volumes and speeds they can:

• Improve safety • Help people cross busy streets • Discourage cut-thru traffic • Protect the residential character of our neighborhoods • Keep speeds low • Get people to where they want to go like parks, schools, shops, and restaurants

What is a Neighborhood Greenway?

Greenways include speed humps, speed limits of 20 mph, signs to help people find their way, stop signs at streets crossing the greenway, and a combination of flashing beacons, crosswalks, medians, or traffic signals at busy intersections. They do not include bike lanes and have minimal if any on-street parking impacts. Each location varies based on the streets unique characteristics.

Comments?

If you have comments and ideas for this study, please share your feedback with the project team by emailing Lauren Squires at lsquires@migcom.com

Want to learn more about how Madison Street BRT will improve east-west transit in Seattle? Want to see how your input has already helped shape design? Join us at one of our open houses this summer to learn more about the Madison Street BRT project, which will begin construction in 2018.

We asked the community for input to develop the concept design last year. Join us in August to see the updated project design, which incorporates the feedback we received. You will be able to provide feedback on the updated design, including roadway and station designs, along with access improvements planned along the corridor. You will also have the opportunity to talk to Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and other City staff.

Madison Street BRT will provide high-frequency, fast, reliable, and safe public transportation between First Ave and Madison Valley. The project will improve transit access on the corridor, especially for neighborhoods south of Madison St that may have fewer transit options.

Madison Street BRT is the first of 7 new RapidRide lines to be delivered in Seattle as part of the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle. Service is anticipated to begin in 2019.

DAC (9:45 am Aug 10)Went to the meeting at the YMCA last night. Concerned and asked about #11 route. Talked with a Route Planner. Was told nothing is in stone regarding routes and how they will run post construction of BRT. Suggested #11 could change and possibly be an amalgam with #12 which would route it away from the Pike/Pine corridor and not go to Westlake! Said they would ask for community input about one year out from any changes and BRT opening. The routes indicated on the map on line are the current routes, not what they might be post BRT construction. Seems to me they are putting the cart before the horse. Why would you create a line BRT and get commenty input when know one is allowed to know how the system is going to be integrated. We will need to be vocal and diligent in the next couple of years.

We want to thank the approximately 300 people who attended our open house Tuesday in Montlake to learn about WSDOT’s construction plans for the next phase of improvements within the SR 520 corridor from I-5 to Lake Washington – the segment we call “the Rest of the West.” We’ve posted the meeting’s informational display boards online for those who couldn’t attend and want to know more about the highway work that’s ahead.

In addition, there’s still time to attend our virtual, online open house. Here you’ll not only find lots of information and conceptual design renderings about the Rest of the West, but you also can send us feedback on our plans. This online “meeting” will be open through July 8.

Information on WSDOT website

We received a lot of good questions and comments at last night’s open house at Saint Demetrios Hall. It’s clear that people want to know how their neighborhoods will be affected during all the upcoming construction, and what the end result will be when the work is done. A lot of information can be found in the SR 520: I-5 to Lake Washington section of our website, including on the project design page and in the published 2014-2015 West Side Design Refinements report.

The Montlake Market

One frequently raised topic at the open house was the status of the Montlake Boulevard Market. We’re preparing a Q&A on this and other topics discussed during the open house. We’ll post the Q&A and send you a link in an upcoming email update, but meantime, here’s a brief bit of background on the market and SR 520 construction.

The market and adjacent 76 gas station lie directly along the south edge of the SR 520/Montlake Boulevard interchange. Following the Legislature’s 2015 approval of funding for the Rest of the West improvements, WSDOT furthered the project design and preconstruction planning. Through this effort, we determined that we’d need to acquire the property where the market and gas station are located. In early 2018, we’ll begin constructing an improved interchange and landscaped highway lid from Montlake Boulevard to 24th Avenue Northeast.

Why do we need to acquire the property?

WSDOT needs the property to build some of the project’s planned improvements, such as retaining walls and fill, sidewalks, connections to shared-use trails, and utility relocations and modifications. We also will use the property for construction staging and traffic shifts.

We determined in the 2011 environmental impact statement that we’d have to close three of the four driveway accesses into the gas station. The gas station and market are business tenants on the property. The change in driveway access will affect the operations of both tenants.

We are in discussions with the property owner regarding WSDOT's purchase of the site and the operations of the businesses.

We know these businesses are important to many people in the Montlake area. We’ll keep the community updated as this process unfolds.

Construction project time line

A number of individuals at the open house wanted to know when we will start constructing our west side improvements, and when we will complete the work. The schedule for big construction projects can shift for a variety of reasons, but here is our current time line for the Rest of the West:

With the new State Route 520 floating bridge now open to traffic and a new West Approach Bridge North slated to open next summer, we’re gearing up for a 2018 start of construction on the next phase of SR 520 improvements in Seattle. Interested to know what is involved?

A rendering, looking east, of a new landscaped lid crossing over SR 520 at the Montlake Boulevard interchange in Seattle.

Please attend one of our open houses to find out what’s ahead for SR 520 construction between I-5 and Lake Washington – the highway segment we call “the Rest of the West.” Our first open house is online, now through July 8, at sr520.participate.online. Just log in for overviews and design renderings of the next phase of corridor improvements in Seattle’s Montlake area. This online “meeting” also allows you to provide feedback to WSDOT on the corridor plans.

Next week is the in-person open house

On Tuesday, June 28, we’re holding our in-person open house on the planned improvements to SR 520’s west side corridor in Seattle. Both the online and in-person open houses are focusing primarily on the first of three phases of west side construction. This next phase includes construction of:

A landscaped lid and multimodal transit hub over SR 520 in Montlake

A separate “land bridge” across SR 520 for bicyclists and pedestrians

The West Approach Bridge South, which will carry eastbound Seattle traffic across Union Bay to the new floating bridge

This spring we will see the opening of two light rail stations, the King County Metro restructure to link with light rail, and the opening of the new state Route 520 floating bridge. Many of these changes will affect the Capitol Hill area and the neighboring communities.

Light rail

On March 19, Sound Transit will open light rail stations at Broadway and John Street and at Husky Stadium at Montlake Boulevard Northeast.

The Capitol Hill Station (CHS) has two access points: one at Broadway and John, and a second one just north of Seattle Central College, on the west side of Broadway.

The First Hill Streetcar is now operating and is an easy way to access CHS. The CHS will also be accessible by current Metro Routes 8, 10, 9x, 43, 49 and 60.

King County Metro is moving some of the bus stops closer to the Broadway light rail entrance at Broadway and Pine Street to make the transfer between Metro and the light rail as easy and safe as possible. Metro will also add a new stop at the west entrance to light rail just north of the college on Broadway for Routes 49, 60, and 9X.

The Husky Stadium entrance allows easy access to the stadium and pavilion, the University of Washington Medical Center and numerous bus connections to areas north. (Additional information on the Sound Transit Link light rail is at www.ulink2016.org.) The next light rail expansion will give us additional stations between Husky Stadium and Northgate.

If you plan to use light rail, it is best to have an ORCA card, which is honored by Metro and Sound Transit; Metro transfers will not work on Sound Transit’s light rail. The ORCA card is easy to get online (www.soundtransit.org/orca) or in person, easy to refill, gives you a two-hour transfer and eliminates the need for cash and paper transfers.

The King County Metro restructure will occur on March 26, one week after the opening of the two new light rail stations. The Link Connections website describes the Metro Restructure: metro.kingcounty.gov/programs-projects/link-connections/adopted-changes.html. These major transportation improvements culminate years of work by King County Metro, Sound Transit and the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The major route changes for Capitol Hill are:

• New or improved connections to the CHS on Routes 8, 10 and 49 and on unchanged Routes 9 and 60.

• The First Hill Streetcar connection with CHS.

• Increased frequency on Routes 8, 12, 48 and 49.

• More reliable service on Routes 8 and 48, which split into two shorter routes.

• Route 43 will only have 30-minute peak-hour service on weekdays.

• Route 10 will go west on East John Street at 15th Avenue East to Olive Way/Bellevue Avenue and downtown, rather than going south to East Pine Street.

• Route 11 will stay on the current East Madison and Pike/Pine corridor, with new seven- to 15-minute service and 60-foot buses during peak hours.

• New night and weekend service on Routes 8, and 12.

There have been numerous public outreaches by the transportation agencies that resulted in the design that will start in March. There will be more changes in the future, with the passage of Move Seattle in November 2015. The Madison Bus Rapid Transit may be a game-changer for the entire Madison corridor and may impact other bus routes in the Capitol Hill area.

• Obtain online timetables for Metro service effective on March 26, which will be posted on Metro’s website on the afternoon of Friday, March 25.

• Route changes to One Bus Away, effective on March 26.

• Obtain printed schedules for Metro routes, available a week before they occur.

For more information, help with trip planning or access in other formats, contact DeAnna Martin from Metro at (206) 477-3835 or deanna.martin@kingcounty.gov.

New SR 520 Bridge

Westbound lanes on the new SR 520 bridge are tentatively expected to open April 11, and eastbound lanes are scheduled to open April 25.

The new bridge has two all-purpose lanes and a carpool-bus lane in each direction, subject to the same tolling as today. Cars will continue to use the old bridge just east of Foster Island until the SR 520-to-Montlake segment is completed.

REG NEWBECK is a Madison Park resident and an avid user of public transportation.

On Saturday, March 19, Sound Transit will expand Link light rail to serve two new stations on Capitol Hill and at the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium. One week later, Metro’s spring service change will take effect.

During the first week of new Link service to Husky Stadium, use current bus service to connect with light rail.

From Saturday, March 19 through Friday, March 25, the following routes will serve the two new Link stations:

Capitol Hill Station (Broadway and E John Street): Currently served by Metro routes 8, 9, 10, 11, 43, 49, and 60, as well as the City of Seattle’s new First Hill Streetcar.

Starting March 26, new bus connections will help riders reach light rail and other destinations.

On Saturday, March 26, Metro will change service as described on our Link Connections website. These changes will provide a redesigned network of bus service to better connect riders with Link light rail. It will also offer new connections and service improvements people have asked for, including:

New or improved connections to the Link University of Washington Station on existing and new routes (31, 32, 45, 48, 65, 67, 71, 73, 75, 78, 372, and 373). Here’s an image showing how these and other routes that aren’t changing will connect to the Link University of Washington Station.

New or improved connections to the Link Capitol Hill Station on routes 8, 10, and 49, and on unchanged routes 9 and 60. The First Hill Streetcar will also connect with Link.

In partnership with the City of Seattle, Metro will extend the RapidRide C Line to serve South Lake Union. The C Line will no longer continue as the RapidRide D Line to Ballard. The D Line will be extended to serve Pioneer Square, and will no longer continue as the C Line to West Seattle. Read more.

Background

Thanks to all who participated in our extensive multi-phase public outreach for these changes. Residents reviewed online information, took surveys and provided comments in other ways, attended public meetings, and served on an advisory Sounding Board.

The launch of new of Link light rail service to Capitol Hill and the University of Washington, and related bus network revisions, culminate several years of work by Metro, Sound Transit, the City of Seattle, and many other stakeholders.

Whether you’re pleased with the outcome or not, these changes were shaped by the input we received from thousands of riders. The King County Council adopted the bus service changes on Oct. 19, 2015. Since then, Metro has made some additional administrative changes. To learn more about the history of this project and how it has changed over time, read our series of blog posts under the “Link Connections” category.

Reg Newbeck (12:16 pm Feb 26)Hi Denise,
You have a very good question and Metro has NOT answered that question yet. I would give it one more chance by contacting DeAnna Martin at 206-477-3835 or deanna.martin@kingcounty.gov. Please get back to me if you don't receive a satisfactory answer or no answer at all!

Denise Lishner (9:21 am Feb 26)How do residents of Montlake near 24th East and Boyer get to 15th Avenue East (such as Group Health Central or QFC) on weekends and non peak hours? Do we really need to wait to transfer in the dark, rain and cold at 19th or 23rd Avenue E and E Madison? And is a third bus necessary to get us downtown without going completely out of our way (north) to get the nearly inaccessible for seniors light rail at UWMC? As a senior I find that disrespectful and insensitive to say the least!
I would appreciate an informed response!
deniselishner@comcast.net

Metro Transit announced on Dec. 16, 2015, that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) had stopped its plans to have Routes 8 and 11 go north on 19th Avenue East and East Madison Street. The statement in December 2015’s Madison Park Community Council’s “Neighborhood Connection” newsletter about Route 11 is incorrect: Routes 8 and 11 will stay as is in March 2016, with the restructuring to support the implementation of light rail on Broadway and at Husky Stadium.

The Metro changes will be administrative actions and do not require Metropolitan King County Council approval. The No. 8 will split into Routes 8 and 38 at the Mount Baker Transit Center, and it will continue to go west on East John/Thomas streets starting at 24th Avenue East and East Madison.

Those who wanted to connect with light rail at Broadway and John Street on the No. 11 will have the options of transferring to the No. 8 at Martin Luther King Jr. Way East, walking two blocks on Broadway to the light rail station at John Street or taking the No. 49 or the streetcar (when it starts running) on Broadway.

Keeping the No. 8/11 as is may work out for the best since it will give Metro time to evaluate the results of the Proposition 1 funding (0.1-percent sales tax) improvements and the impact of the two new light rail stations. These changes add service hours that will be applied to other routes since the 19th Avenue East turn required additional service hours.

Other routes changes

Based on information supplied by several Metro drivers and riders, Route 11 is experiencing overflow problems, resulting in people left at the curb during peak hours. On Dec. 18, 2015, Metro stated that Route 11 on the Madison and Pine Street corridor will use 60-foot-long articulated coaches when ridership is at its highest.

Riders of the No. 43 will only have service during peak hours at 30-minute intervals, and this is unfortunate.

Metro is making an additional administrative change that will have Route 10 turn west at 15th Avenue East and East John Street, going by the light rail stateion on Broadway and then west to Pike/Pine downtown via Olive Way and Bellevue Avenue. This change will help some of the current users of the No. 43, but it leaves a gap on 15th Avenue East between East Pine and John streets, a level three-block walk.

Metro’s plans to increase the frequency of the No. 8 to fill some of the gaps when Route 43 goes to peak-hour-only service.

The route change for the No. 10 will provide added service for those in the Summit neighborhood. The sad part of this restructure process is that either Metro did not test the 19th Avenue East solution before going to the County Council or it did not coordinate with SDOT. Hopefully, this never happens again, given the amount of energy put in by a lot of people who were to be impacted by Metro’s change.

One would need to question if Metro tested having the No. 11 turn north at 15th Avenue East and East Pine. I was given responses like the bus can’t turn corners and that it would be a longer run.

So what was the 19th Avenue East solution? Metro also told me that its 60-foot buses could navigate the corner at 19th, but not the 40-foot buses, due to the length of the wheelbase.

BRT options

The one-seat ride that we enjoy going downtown to the Pike/Pine corridor may not be part of our future with the Madison Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that we approved as part of the Move Seattle initiative.

The BRT will have positive impacts for those along the Madison corridor, and that includes new and improved infrastructure, faster service, better signaling and easier access to the medical facilities on Pill Hill, as well as Town Hall, the Central Library and Colman Dock. The businesses on East Madison will benefit from the tourist traffic to our area.

Plans released by SDOT on Dec. 18, 2015, have the BRT only going to Martin Luther King Jr. Way East, which puts the future of a No. 11 Madison routing in question. One possible option is to have some of the BRT buses continue to Madison Park, but this then provides no direct access to the Pike/Pine corridor. Another option would be to have the No. 11 continue to go to Madison Park but turn up East John Street at 24th Avenue East and East Madison Street; this routing gives direct access to light rail and then downtown.

The third option would be for the BRT to go to Madison Park, but this faces two big obstacles, one being the added cost and the second is those in Madison Park not wanting wired transit that would be cleaner, quieter and better for the environment.

We should be aware that BRT means wires on East Madison through to MLK!

Hopefully, improved battery technology may eliminate the need for trolley wires on East Madison in the near future.

In any case, we who use buses on East Madison may face change in the future and should stay involved with the process with Metro and SDOT.

If you have comments or questions about the Metro plans or existing service, please call Jon Bes, Metro supervisor of service planning, at (206) 477-5391.

I just got the news on Monday, November 16, that the 8 and 11 bus routes will NOT be impacted as part of March 2016 restructure. The plan was to have the buses turn north at 19th Ave East and East Madison, but Metro and SDOT have come to the conclusion that the turn is not practical or safe for the intersection.

So we will have both buses, as is, meaning that users who wish to get to Light Rail will have the option of transferring at MLK to the Route 8, walking two blocks north on Broadway or catching the Light Rail downtown at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s.

Riders of the current 43 will benefit since they will be able to catch the 8 going up East John/Thomas without the gap in service between 19th and 23 Ave East.

I believe this is good news for all who use the 8, 11, and even the 43. Our next issue will be the impact of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Madison stopping at MLK and not going to Madison Park. Given what we experienced with Metro in the last eight months we have every right to insist the BRT go to Madison Park and/or that we maintain adequate bus service to the Park.

For over a year, SDOT has been working with communities along the Madison Corridor to develop and assess bus rapid transit (BRT) design concepts from the waterfront to Madison Valley.

Please join your neighbors to review the latest Madison Corridor BRT design concept and see how we are responding to community input. Discussions will focus on the latest design opportunities, including a new Madison Valley routing option and a potential future extension of BRT service to Madison Park.

The meeting is accessible via Metro routes 2 and 12, along with Metro routes serving 3rd Ave. There is bicycle parking near the 4th and 5th Avenue entrances. There are also covered bike racks in the parking garage reached from Spring Street.

If you need translation/interpretation services or accommodations for a disability, please contact Sara Walton at (206) 386-4645 or madisonbrt@seattle.gov by November 9.

UPDATE: The illustration below and the linked PDF have been revised to show the correct traffic direction for Option 2.

The Madison Corridor BRT study has developed two new options for layover and turnaround locations. SDOT has set a date to walk the area and discuss the layover options next Tuesday. The full details of the options and ways to send input to SDOT are included in their PDF Fact Sheet.

BRT Layover Options Walkabout Tuesday, October 20 3:30 – 5:00 PM

The group will be at the southwest corner of Madison St and Lake Washington Blvd (near Pagliacci Pizza) at 3:30 PM and at Julia Lee’s Park (SW corner of E. Harrison and MLK Jr. Way) at 4:15 PM.

The following quote from the MPCC (Madison Park Community Council) in the Community Corner of the October Madison Park Times should explain the why of the proposed routing of the 11 E Madison in March 2016.

“We have also reached a compromise with Metro Transit over the re-routing of the No. 11 bus. Our consensus was that we wanted as little change to the current routing as possible; Metro’s bottom line was that it wanted the route to provide direct access to the new Sound Transit station on Capitol Hill. The new routing achieves both of these goals but will, unfortunately, add about five minutes’ travel time to the route.”

It would be interesting to know how this decision was made and why the actual bus rider users of the 11 were not in the decision with Metro, especially since their decision impacts more than the few on the MPCC. The 11 does not belong to Madison Park and its route impacts users of the 8, 10, 12, 43 and 48 and the current users of the 11.

This is a back-room deal that affects a lot of people and should not go unanswered by those affected. And yes, this coup affects not only the 11 riders but those on the 43!

In late September, the Seattle Department of Transportation will host two open houses to inform and engage the public on plans for the Center City Connector Streetcar line. SDOT staff and project team members will be present to review design concepts and answer questions.

The Center City Connector will serve the heart of Downtown Seattle, operating through Pioneer Square to the Pike Place Market and Olive/Stewart neighborhoods. It will complete the Seattle Streetcar system, linking over a dozen Seattle neighborhoods.

With the passage of Proposition 1, the City of Seattle now has a funding mechanism that is expected to raise $45 million per year to help address overcrowding and reliability issues with Metro service, and to add frequency to meet demand for more transit. Based on Metro’s Service Guidelines and the Seattle Transit Master Plan, funding is being used to improve the reliability of service, add trips to ease overcrowding and improve service frequency on many Metro routes.

Here are some of the changes for routes 2, 8, 11, 12, 43 and 48. Your may wish to compare these to the proposed changes that occur in March 2016 which are currently being debated by the King County Council. In the case of the 8, 11 and 43 they are to totally different with the elimination of the 43 and the move to East Madison to 19th Ave East for the 8 and 11.

Route 2

Route 2 service frequency will improve from 30 minutes to 15 minutes with the addition of ten northbound trips to downtown Seattle and eight southbound trips to Madrona each evening, and nine northbound and ten southbound trips on Saturday.

On Sunday, early morning and late evening service frequency will also improve from 60 minutes to 30 minutes with the addition of five northbound and seven southbound trips.

Most of the new Route 2 trips on weekday evenings and Sunday will be connected to Route 13.

Route 8

On Saturday, 15 minute service will be extended with the addition of three northbound trips to the Seattle Center and two southbound trips to Rainier Beach.

On Sunday, one early morning and one late evening northbound trip will be added in order to maintain a 30 minute service frequency for most of the day.

Route 11

On weekdays, midday Route 11 service frequency will improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of 11 westbound trips to downtown Seattle and 11 eastbound trips to Madison Park. Also, 15 minute service frequency will be extended to about 8 p.m. with the addition of three westbound and three eastbound early evening trips. Late night service frequency will improve from 60 minutes to 30 minutes with the addition of two westbound and two eastbound trips.

On Saturday, midday and early evening service frequency will improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of 22 westbound and 22 eastbound trips. Late night service frequency will improve to every 30 minutes with the addition of three westbound and three eastbound trips.

On Sunday, early morning and late night service frequency will improve with the addition of eight westbound and eight eastbound trips.

Route 12

On weekdays, evening service frequency will improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of 11 westbound trips to downtown Seattle and 11 eastbound trips to Interlaken Park.

On Saturday, evening service frequency will also improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of 10 westbound and 11 eastbound trips.

On Sunday, service frequency will improve to every 30 minutes with the addition of four westbound and four eastbound trips.

Service will be extended until midnight on all days.

Route 43

On Saturday mornings, service frequency will improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of three southbound trips to downtown Seattle and three northbound trips to the U-District.

On weekday and Saturday evenings until about 10 p.m., and on Sunday from the start of service until about 10 p.m., Route 43 will not be connected to Route 44.

Route 48

On Saturday evenings, service frequency will improve to every 15 minutes with the addition of five southbound trips to Mount Baker and five northbound trips to Loyal Heights.

During the day on Sunday, service frequency will also improve to every 15 minutes.

I’ve have reviewed the August 25, 2015 Metro proposal and I am sorry to say it fails, since:

1. It lengthens the runs of the 8/11 which are already among the most unreliable routes.2. It does not allow for seamless transfers between the 11 and 12 going east and west.3. It removes the 8 from John/Thomas.4. It does not allow seamless access to the Community College on Broadway and other places on East Pine.5. It duplicates service on East Madison from 19th to 24th which does solve any problems, but eliminates access to bus service on East John between 19th and 23rd Ave East.6. It will require changes in the 19th Ave East and East Madison intersection for 60 foot buses to turn west or north.

I know that Metro has spent the last two months trying to work this out and I believe that plan could be made palatable by moving the 8 back to East John/Thomas and by having the 11 continue west to 12th Ave East where it would turn north to John and light rail. These are easy fixes and would leave the rest of the plan intact!

Amazingly this plan has united the users of the 8, 11 and 43 in opposition to the Metro 2016 Capitol Hill restructure! I look forward to talking to you about these issues. If this plan can’t be modified then I would suggest, as others do, that the Capitol Hill changes be postponed until after the implantation of Light Rail so that the impact of it and the Prop One changes can be reviewed.

If you would like to provide public testimony to the King County Council on this proposed March 2016 Metro Transit service changes please go to:

As you can see in the updated system map, Routes 8 and 11 would share a common path between Madison Valley and the west side of Capitol Hill. Both would serve the segment of E Madison between 19th and 23rd Avenues, and both would connect with Capitol Hill Station. There would be no loss of coverage on E Madison Street, as Route 12 would serve Madison west of 19th Avenue E. The segment of E Madison Street between 23rd and 19th would have considerably more service than today, and new connections to Seattle Center, South Lake Union and the Central Area. The County Council will deliberate the proposals over the coming weeks.

This is an update on the status of the proposed routing of the 11 E Madison in March 2016. Metro has made several alternatives other than leaving the bus as is. In June 2015 Metro proposed a routing that would take the 11 off of Madison west of 24th Ave East & East Madison by routing it up John/Thomas to light rail and then downtown via Olive to Pike/Pine.

The August issue of the Madison Park Times which contains an article with my comments about the proposal to take part of the 11 off of East Madison that we were given in June. The article is “We get faster service on No. 11, and then it goes away” on the editorial page and online for those who don’t have a copy of the Madison Park Times at: http://madisonparktimes.com/Content/Opin...

Your comments over the last months have been passed on to Metro and Nextdoor users participated in a survey about what they wanted for the routing of 11 in March 2016 and it is included in the article.

Today, Monday August 3, 2015 we received the following communications from the Metro planner working on the 11:

Hello All –

We are still in the process of evaluating options for Route 11 and considering feedback we have received. I will keep you posted.

Thanks for your patience,

-- Jeremy

Note, given the above response I would suggest that you contact Metro with your comments at:

The good news is that we will be getting 15-minute service on the 11 E Madison bus this September due to Prop One funding. The bad news is that there is currently a proposal floating around that would remove the 11 from Madison between 24th Ave East and Broadway and move it over to East John Street, then down Olive to Bellevue and then the Pine/Pike area downtown. Basically this combines the 43 and 11 buses, but the 11 user will be inconvenienced with transfers or longer walks.

Hopefully, the following will answer the questions of why the central area needs a bus on Madison Street despite the desire to move the 11 over to East John so it can go to the Light Rail Station on Broadway (CHS):

1) John/Thomas already has access via the 8 and adding the 11 is duplicating existing service. Yes, this requires a transfer, but the users for the 8 transfer to the 11 today!

2) The 8 already goes to CHS and can be accessed at MLK or 23rd—and it’s seamless.

3) Light Rail access is already available for 11 users via the Nordstrom station that gives access to all light rail stations today and in the future, including CHS.

4) Moving the 11 off Madison, yes, helps replace the 43, but at what cost to the users of the current 11?

5) Replacing the 43 with the 11 puts a diesel bus in place of an electric bus and we are getting new electric trolleys. Is this really the direction we want to go?

6) The Proposed 11 on East John would be a longer run and more likely to be less reliable than our current unreliable 11. It will be faster to transfer to Light at CHS then to take the bus to Pike/Pine.

7) The tradeoffs don’t justify the transferring and walking that having no bus on Madison will cause.

8) Telling 11 users who go to Safeway that they can use the one on 15th is fine, but Group Health is not an alternative for the Medical facilities on Pill Hill! BTW, Group Health uses Swedish for its hospital.

9) Madison Street east of 23rd is growing with new businesses and housing being added. Taking the bus off Madison will retard that growth.

10) Madison Street has been chosen for a BRT route and redevelopment by its implementation.

11) Taking the 11 off Madison promotes the use of private vehicles.

The following is a partial list of places that people frequent on the Madison corridor today and this includes a transfer from the 8 at MLK from the 8 and at 23rd from the 43 and 48. This 11 is NOT just a Madison Park bus, it is a bus used by residents all along the Madison Corridor!

Gyms and Health Clubs on or near Madison

Seattle Arts Academy that meets at TDHS School Facility

The Bullitt Center

Planned Parenthood

Central Area Chamber of Commerce

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center

Three black Churches including Madison Temple Church of God, Mount Zion Baptist and A.M.E. Church plus a Catholic Church

The area on John/Thomas does not provide alternatives to most of these places and in some cases none. Transferring and waiting for buses at all hours of the day and weekends for employees is not good. Seniors and disabled are hampered by this move and Access (a Metro run on-call door-to-door service for the disabled) is not always an alternative.

Bottom line, to be given the 11 Madison bus 15-minute service in September and then to tell riders sorry, but you going to have to transfer or to walk to get your destinations is very mean spirited. This is why I say Metro needs to slow this process down and give its latest proposal the light of day by giving it to the community before giving it to the County Council.

The following unscientific poll was run on Nextdoor:

Which of the following routes would you prefer for the 11 E Madison?

A bus that would service Madison shore to shore with a seamless transfer to Pike/Pine buses: 31% in favor.

Keep the bus as-is on its current routing: 27%

Have the bus turn on to E John at 24th Ave E to Light Rail then to Pike/Pine: 19%

A two-bus solution with a Madison to Madison run with one running up John to Light Rail then to Pike/Pine: 13%

A bus that would service Madison from shore to shore: 10%

Please feel free to voice your comments to Metro about this proposed change:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is about to propose Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Madison.

Currently SDOT is favoring ending the BRT at 23rd Ave East and East Madison.This means Madison Valley would not benefit from the BRT at all. This would be a huge loss for our neighborhood. The ability for residents to travel down Madison quickly, as well as the ability for customers from downtown and Capital Hill to get to Madison Valley would be great for us.

In addition to providing rapid and improved bus service on Madison would also give numerous infrastructure improvements along Madison. The new improvements include intersection improvements, street lighting, and new sidewalk and bus stop improvements that our neighborhood would benefit from!

The pending traffic pattern changes due to the 520 will impact the businesses since most people will be using 23rd to access the bridge. The BRT is an opportunity to bring shoppers to our businesses on Madison from the Coleman dock and downtown hotels near Madison. This will help the restaurants and shops we love stay in business.

The funding for the BRT will come from the Move Seattle ballot initiative this November and a vote by the state legislature for matching funds, but SDOT’s recommendations to City Council are going to happen very soon.

If you want to support extending BRT to Madison Valley please email Maria right away. Let her know that you support BRT coming to Madison Valley. Tell your friends to reach out to her. She needs to hear from our community that we want BRT to come to Madison Valley.

Thierry Rautureau of Luc kindly hosted the meeting. Lindy Wishard called the meeting to order and gave an quick overview of the two projects. She introduced Reg Newbeck, a neighborhood public transportation advocate, and then introduced the SDOT and Metro speakers.

Maria Koengeter of SDOT on Madison BRT

Madison BRT would provide fast, reliable bus service on Madison Street from the waterfront to 23rd Ave or possibly Martin Luther King (MLK).

Residents present expressed support of the BRT extending to MLK. There was some concern about loss of parking on Madison in the Valley, but Maria said there would be no dedicated bus lane east of 20th Avenue. Residents also advocated for an intermediate stop between 23rd and MLK so as to reduce the need to walk a steep hill.

Maria mentioned that an extension to MLK would require creating a layover location on Arthur Place, with the loss of some parking.

The buses will be electric trolley buses — regular tires, not rail. Overhead wires would be used, although they are exploring the possibility of using electric battery buses.

The BRT will improve speed and reliability by using dedicated lanes and priority traffic signaling. Studies and simulation indicate a local bus takes about 16 minutes to travel from First Ave to 23rd, as little as 8 minutes and as much as 23 minutes. Maria projects that a BRT with dedicated lanes and signal prioritization will reduce average travel time to 9 minutes, plus or minus a minute.

Implementation of the BRT to 23rd is estimated to cost between $98 Million and $120M. Extension to MLK would cost another $13M for more wiring and a new electrical substation.

$15M of the funding would come from the $930M Move Seattle initiative on the ballot this fall. The balance ($83M+) would be sought from federal matching grants.

The possibility of extending the run of a subset of the trolley buses to Madison Park is being discussed, but no budget estimates have been made.

The project is in the planning stage. Service is proposed to begin in 2019.

DeAnna gave an overview of the Link Connections project to improve connectivity to the light rail system that will be expanded next March with Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium stops.

As publicized in earlier posts, Metro proposes the following changes to the two routes most used by east Madison residents:

* Move the western portion of 11 off of the Pike/Pine corridor and convert it to a water-to-water Madison route, with increased frequency — at least every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday.

* Split 8 into two routes at Jackson/Yesler. The northern/western half retains the 8 designation while the southern half becomes 38.

Jeremy Fichter of Metro gave more details:

When asked how riders will get to Pine/Pike commercial district, Jeremy suggested a transfer to 10 at 15th Avenue. He said it was a short walk, less than 600 feet. He did acknowledge the the transfer on return involved crossing both Pine and Madison. He also suggested taking 11 to 3rd, then taking one of the buses running north on the 3rd Avenue “transit spine” for the six blocks to Pine.

A Madison Park resident expressed concern over reduced access to light rail. For the ambulatory, the current 11 would have provided, with a 2+ block walk, access to the Capitol Hill Station. For the less ambulatory or more burdened, the current 11 provides direct access to the Convention Center light rail station. The proposed 11 doesn’t provide direct access to any of these stations. Jeremy said that Madison Valley residents will use 8 to get to the Capitol Hill Station. Madison Park residents can transfer from 11 to 8, or take 11 to 3rd Avenue and walk 3 blocks to the University Station. No Madison Park resident present expressed happiness with these alternatives.

Reg asked Jeremy why Metro didn’t incorporate the “notch” he proposed with his Alternative 3: that 11 would go off Madison at Pine and return on Broadway, providing an easier transfer to Pine/Pike via 10, and the 2 block walk access to Capitol Hill Station. Jeremy said route design calls for straight lines wherever possible and avoiding turns in congested areas.

Multiple concerns were expressed about the performance of the 8 on Denny. During rush hour, Denny is a parking lot. Jeremy agreed that this is a problem and that Metro is looking at mitigations. No details were provided.

Concerns were also expressed about the best split point between 8 and 38. I’m afraid I missed that part of the discussion.

The King County Council (not the Seattle City Council) will review the proposal late this summer.

This was a 90 minute meeting; these notes are not complete. Lindy, Reg, and other meeting participants, please supplement and correct as needed. All, please use the links above to find out more about these two proposals, and to register your comments.

At the May update meeting of the 520 Bridge construction, WSDOT staff announced that the June, July, and August monthly meetings will include a tour of the bridge construction area. The tours will begin with a brief meeting at the Graham Visitors Center. Afterward staff will lead neighbors out to Foster Island and beyond to view the current construction area. Participants are advised to wear hiking boots or shoes and be prepared for a one-hour walk. Interested neighbors who want to go on the tour need to register in advance. The dates for the tours are:

Metro has announced their latest recommendations for re-routes to the Seattle bus system.

David Lawson did a good job of summarizing the changes in an article written for the Seattle Transit Blog. You can view the specific article here. The Seattle Transit Blog is independent of any transit agency including Metro, Sound Transit, and SDOT.

Finally, Metro will be in Madison Valley on Wednesday, May 20th, from 9:30 – 11 am at Luc to explain how the routes will affect our neighborhood. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Note: The comment period for this final round of design changes ends May 31st, so get your comments in soon! Nextdoor is an excellent place to comment and join the conversation on the Metro changes: https://arboretum.nextdoor.com

We’ll spend the most time on this part of the proposal, because it’s so different from either Alternative 1 or Alternative 2. Here are the highlights:

Proposed Route 8

Proposed Route 38

Route 8. This proposal splits route 8 in half, but in a different place from Alternative 1: the Central District, rather than Capitol Hill/Madison Valley. Route 8 would be truncated at 23rd and Jackson, and new route 38 would take over service along MLK Jr Way south of Jackson. Frequency on both routes would be similar to the level current route 8 will reach once Prop 1 investments are made, but with an improvement to 12-minute midday service on route 8 only. The frequent evening and Sunday service included in Alternative 1 is not included here.

Proposed Route 11

“All-Madison” route 11. Metro received much feedback, not at all consistent, about Alternative 1’s Madison Street proposals. Its solution was to develop an “all-Madison” route 11, running every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday and every 30 minutes evenings and Sundays. It’s not clear this solution will make anyone happy. Downtown trips for eastern Madison riders will remain very slow, and will no longer reach the retail core. Connections from Madison Park to Link will require a ride all the way downtown or a two-bus ride to Capitol Hill Station. The route will have to use diesel coaches, which are far from ideal for the steep hills on Madison and Marion, and which will take electric trolley service away for riders on First Hill.

Proposed Route 12 (Or “Route 43 Jr”)

Routes 12 and 43 survive… sort of. These two routes, both proposed for deletion in Alternative 1, received a lot of love in comments to Metro. Metro’s solution was to create a “route 12″ which is really a truncated 43. It would serve 19th Ave E north of Thomas, but be identical to route 43 between 19th/Thomas and downtown. It would have the same frequency as the current 43, except 15-minute service would last a bit later. This solution preserves frequent service between downtown and Summit and to 19th Ave E. But it does not address criticism of Alternative 1 from Montlake residents, who would still have to transfer from route 48 to get downtown or to Capitol Hill. It will also require changes to trolley overhead at 19th and Thomas. Finally, with 15-minute frequency on this route and 12-minute frequency on route 8, it’s impossible to coordinate schedules between the two for super-frequent service along John St.

Route 49 stays on Pine. Alternative 1’s move of route 49 from Pine St to Madison St got a lot of love from the STB staff, and some from commenters, thanks to the new connection between First Hill and Link. But other commenters worried that Route 10 by itself was not enough capacity along Pine Street, and they carried the day. Route 49 will stay on Pine. It will also receive a daytime frequency boost from 15 to 12 minutes, except Sundays.

Other tidbits:

Route 47 is resurrected, and will run 7 days a week, every 35 minutes, during the day.

Route 48 (which will now be truncated at the U-District) will run every 10 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes nights and Sundays.

Route 10 will retain the frequency increases it is getting next month from Prop 1.

• Share the results of the technical analysis, including key performance measures like travel time, ridership, impacts to auto travel and parking, and pedestrian, bicycle, and public realm opportunities.

Discuss benefits and trade-offs and seek your input on priority elements for the project.

Arboretum Neighbors for Safe Streets have a SDOT permit to close the block to cars and they are throwing a party!

The volume and speed of cars driving through the neighborhood to avoid busy arterials is a problem. 26th is not an arterial. Our goal for this event is to increase awareness among commuters of the safety concerns along our residential streets. And to have a good time with our neighbors!

Join us on the closed street for children’s play-time, potluck snacks, and to thank commuters at the barriers for using the arterial! Bring the kids! Bikes, balloons, games and a Scrabble tournament.

After the Street Social we’re invited to join the other party 6:15 PM at 1210 26th Ave East to discuss how we can create a safer walking, biking and living community in our Arboretum Neighborhood.

Monday April 13 from 4–6 pm26th Ave East from E. Boyer to E. Galer, including under the bridge.

Madison Park resident, Reg Newbeck, has been following the more than 100 comments posted on NextDoor* regarding the two alternatives presented by SDOT for new Metro bus routes to Madison Park and Madison Valley. Reg studied the concerns voiced in the comments, and has put together a suggested Alternative 3. Please note this is not an SDOT official alternative—this is a recommendation from a resident. It addresses many of the concerns related to our neighborhoods. This Alternative 3 has been shared with the SDOT project coordinators.

•8 – Run down MLK to MLK & E Madison, to E John, then to CHS (Capitol Hill Station) only.

•9 – Look into covering 19th Ave E portion of route 12.•10 – Leave run as is.•11 - Run to and from Madison Park to the Coleman dock at 15 minute intervals. Run to from Madison Park to Broadway and Pine south to Madison to Coleman dock. Downtown Pike/Pine access via tunnel at CHS or at Broadway.•12 – Drop, replace with 9 and 11.•38 – New Run from CHS to Seattle Center and SLU (South Lake Union).•43 – Drop in favor of 48.•48 – Run from current route on 23rd/24th Ave to UW.•49 and 60 – Combine with route 60 to pick up north portion of 49.

Keeps access to business all along Madison, Central Community College, places of worship, Seattle University, Swedish Medical Center, Pill Hill, Virginia Mason, Poly Clinic, major downtown hotels, downtown financial district, downtown Public Library and Coleman Terminal plus the new waterfront. The John corridor gives access to Group Health and CHS.

The new routing should drive traffic to the 8 and 11 and people can still easily get to the shopping area downtown via Light Rail or bus from Broadway.

The 11 goes diagonally through town, and still services downtown and the businesses on Madison. This could be replaced with BRT if and when.

A rep from the Dept. of Transportation will be in Madison Valley to give a short presentation of the alternatives and take questions. If you have questions or concerns and want to meet with DOT in person, please attend.

Sound Transit has announced two concepts for transit changes in 2016. These are the metro bus route changes they’re proposing for 2016 once the Capitol Hill and University Light Rail Stations are active. Note, this is different from the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

2. I would like for Madison Park and Madison Valley to form a committee of regular public transit users. I see the committee having 2–3 meetings.

Meeting 1 – Understand the proposals by Metro and Sound Transit as they impact our neighborhoods.Meeting 2 – Meeting with representatives of Metro and Transit to answer questions and voice concerns.Meeting 3 – Public meeting to educate businesses and residents about the changes coming to Madison.

We are all aware of the high volumes of vehicle traffic cutting through our neighborhood, often at high speeds. This problem is only going to worsen with the removal of the eastbound SR-520 ramp from Lake WA Blvd. We are urging Seattle leaders to immediately fund and implement effective traffic calming measures on our streets as part of the Lake Washington Loop Greenway project. Please join us to help plan and advocate for safer streets in our neighborhood!

2.Neighborhood Livability. Cut-through vehicle traffic today presents a significant unmitigated danger to people walking, biking and playing in our neighborhood. Cut-through traffic has adversely impacted both our quality of life and our sense of community.

3.Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Network. The existing Lake Washington Loop signed bicycle route is not only essential for local non-motorized mobility options, but is a critical segment of the 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, a plan which was unanimously passed by the City Council and the Mayor. It is also a very popular jogging and walking route for the neighborhood.

4.Safe Route to Schools and Jobs. The Lake Washington Loop route is only remaining non-arterial northbound residential through route connecting E Madison St to the University of Washington. Our neighborhood is in the McGilvra Elementary School attendance area. This is the only viable route for our children to bike or walk to McGilvra Elementary School. We need one safe route to not only our only public school, but also local preschools, private schools, junior and high schools and the University of Washington, the largest public schooland employer within the City of Seattle.

5.The City of Seattle has studied and recommended cut-through traffic mitigation along this route numerous times.

6.It’s Really Cheap. For a negligible fraction of the cost of major road projects being implemented in this corridor, excellent all-ages-and-abilities walking and biking routes can quickly be established. Transportation planners call this amount of money “decimal dust.”

Yesterday I had a good meeting with two representatives from SDOT, Sara Walton and Maria Koengeter. Nat Stratton-Clark, president of the Madison Valley Merchants Association, was also there. The focus of the conversation was BRT.

Here are my notes from our meeting:

• SDOT has received a lot of feedback suggesting they extend the BRT to Madison Valley, so they are adding the extension to the Valley to the study. The feedback and research does not support taking BRT to Madison Park, so that is no longer on the table.

• The BRT busses will be mixed in with cars from Madison Valley up to 23rd, where the BRT will have a dedicated bus lane. This is because Madison St is not wide enough for a dedicated lane beyond 23rd coming down the hill.

• SDOT does not know yet if the dedicated bus lane will be only for BRT or for all buses.

• Locations for BRT stops in Madison Valley are still under consideration, but they are looking at an eastbound stop on Madison in front of Essential Baking, and a westbound stop in front of Bailey-Boushay House.

• The location for the bus turnaround and layover station is also being studied, although it’s looking as if the station will be on E. Arthur Place behind the dry cleaner & Jae’s Bistro. This does mean the one way on E. Arthur will change to the opposite direction. (See photo below)

• There will be BRT meetings in Madison Valley in March, for those who want to provide input or get additional information.

• BRT is electric and runs on wires. This means the busses have minimal noise and exhaust, but it also means a mesh of overhead wires.

• If the BRT comes to Madison Valley this could change the schedule of the #11 bus, though more study needs to be done regarding routing and scheduling.

• The study will end this summer.

• If BRT is approved, estimated construction and completion will be in 2018-2019.

“TransMilenio bus system actually works much more like a subway on wheels than a traditional bus. Buses go on exclusive lanes. People pay when they enter the station. When the buses arrive, the station doors open simultaneously with the bus doors [which align with the station floor]. You can get a hundred people out and a hundred people into the bus in seconds.

“In their own lanes, BRT buses bypass traffic jams; riders hop on and off in the time it takes to type a text message. See? Like light rail, but with buses.”

Yesterday I had a good meeting with two representatives from SDOT, Sara Walton and Maria Koengeter. Nat Stratton-Clark, president of the Madison Valley Merchants Association, was also there. The focus of the conversation was BRT.

Here are my notes from our meeting:

• SDOT has received a lot of feedback suggesting they extend the BRT to Madison Valley, so they are adding the extension to the Valley to the study. The feedback and research does not support taking BRT to Madison Park, so that is no longer on the table.

• The BRT busses will be mixed in with cars from Madison Valley up to 23rd, where the BRT will have a dedicated bus lane. This is because Madison St is not wide enough for a dedicated lane beyond 23rd coming down the hill.

• SDOT does not know yet if the dedicated bus lane will be only for BRT or for all buses.

• Locations for BRT stops in Madison Valley are still under consideration, but they are looking at an eastbound stop on Madison in front of Essential Baking, and a westbound stop in front of Bailey-Boushay House.

• The location for the bus turnaround and layover station is also being studied, although it’s looking as if the station will be on E. Arthur Place behind the dry cleaner & Jae’s Bistro. This does mean the one way on E. Arthur will change to the opposite direction. (See photo below)

• There will be BRT meetings in Madison Valley in March, for those who want to provide input or get additional information.

• BRT is electric and runs on wires. This means the busses have minimal noise and exhaust, but it also means a mesh of overhead wires.

• If the BRT comes to Madison Valley this could change the schedule of the #11 bus, though more study needs to be done regarding routing and scheduling.

• The study will end this summer.

• If BRT is approved, estimated construction and completion will be in 2018-2019.

“TransMilenio bus system actually works much more like a subway on wheels than a traditional bus. Buses go on exclusive lanes. People pay when they enter the station. When the buses arrive, the station doors open simultaneously with the bus doors [which align with the station floor]. You can get a hundred people out and a hundred people into the bus in seconds.

“In their own lanes, BRT buses bypass traffic jams; riders hop on and off in the time it takes to type a text message. See? Like light rail, but with buses.”

The Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study has launched an online survey. The survey will be online until February 5th. The Madison BRT Study is developing a concept design for BRT from Colman Dock to Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The current discussion is should the BRT extend to Madison Valley or stop at 23rd. If it comes to Madison Valley, where should the bus turn around and stop be located?

In the coming months, the Study will examine two alternatives to evaluate travel-time savings, traffic impacts, ridership projections and parking impacts.

SDOT is seeking input on key elements before this analysis begins, including transit connections, routing options, station locations, and an alternate bike facility. After the analysis is complete, SDOT will launch a round of outreach to share the results and discuss community preferences about the design options.

The last question of the survey is a map exercise; don’t forget to share your map. #MadisonBRT

For more information on the Madison BRT study, visit the project website.

“The Madison Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project is an opportunity to construct capital improvements that will allow a faster, more reliable, more comfortable transit ride,” Maria Koengeter, project manager for the Madison BRT initiative said at the presentation Tuesday night.

The presentation visuals and conclusions are posted in full on the Capitol Hill blog: http://bit.ly/1s9sB6c

Your feedback is needed on an experimental pedestrian safety intersection reconfiguration. Please share this invitation for feedback to anybody you know who uses Dorffel Dr E and the intersection of E Harrison St at Lake Washington Blvd (between The Bush School and Lake View Park). As supporters of safe routes to schools, parks and other local destinations, your feedback is very much needed at some point between now and Oct 6th.

As part of The Bush School's commitment to experiential education, students in the 2014 winter Action Module Program (AMP) ventured beyond the traditional classroom setting and engaged with local community organizations to develop a Safe-Routes-To-School map.

The students identified the three way intersection of E Harrison St, Lake Washington Blvd and 37th Ave E (separating The Bush School from Lake View Park) to be a hazard to students arriving by foot or by bike from the south (Denny Blaine, Madrona and Leschi).

When asked by the Denny Blaine Neighbors for Safer Streets (DBNFSS), local community groups (Madison Park Community Council and Madison Park Greenways) agreed to help study this issue. Subsequently, the MPCC collaborated with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to execute a 6 week test of a new configuration of the intersection of Lake Washington Blvd and 37th Ave E.

From Aug 18 through Oct 6, this new configuration will be evaluated using temporary materials to see how it performs and to see if there are any unforeseen problems with the configuration. The final reconfiguration won't resemble the current one. Numerous usability problems are already apparent, but data from this experiment will inform the design process.

While SDOT will conduct quantitative traffic volume and speed data as part of this study, qualitative data is needed in order to understand who uses this intersection (and especially Dorffel Dr E) and what role it plays in the lives of those who depend on it today. Love it or hate it, this is where your experience and insights are crucial to a successful long term outcome.

In order to fully participate in this data gathering activity, it's important for you to experience the test reconfiguration in as many ways as possible. Since it's primarily a pedestrian safety study, we ask you to walk from The Bush School through this intersection to Lake View Park and back. Experience it at different times of day and in different lighting conditions. If you drive, try it out from each of the three legs of the intersection. Note whether traffic is moving more slowly, attentively and carefully than before. If you own a bicycle, try rolling between the barriers and see if you feel more or less comfortable waiting for a break in traffic than before.

Once you've experienced it fully, come back and fill out this short survey to capture your experiences. (Pardon that some of the text fields are small, you can paste in responses from a text editor or word processor if you find it easier.) If you have further insights later, come back and give more comments. Spread the word, we need lots of feedback.

Another busy summer has passed and great progress has been made along the SR 520 corridor. The West Connection Bridge is nearing completion, new transit stops opened on the Eastside for riders at 92nd Avenue Northeast and Evergreen Point Road, and the floating bridge assembly is well underway on Lake Washington.

This month we reached another major milestone with the start of construction of the West Approach Bridge North Project (WABN). Please see below for additional information.

What to expect to during construction

Construction will begin in Seattle’s Montlake area and on Lake Washington’s Union Bay for the next three years as crews build the new WABN project. WSDOT is committed to construction management practices that avoid, minimize and mitigate the effects of our construction activities to neighbors, communities, and the traveling public. Our contractor will also implement industry-accepted best management practices. Here are some of the other things we’ll do:

· Provide the public with a variety of tools to reach us and stay informed.

· Construct local street improvements early on to help ease traffic during construction.

· Help balance weekday traffic on SR 520 and local streets by restricting some detours and closures to nights and weekends.

· Limit truck traffic on local streets.

We’ve mailed a notification flyer to Seattle residents within one mile of the SR 520 corridor, to detail the construction activities you’ll begin to see in September.

Public involvement during WABN construction

WSDOT will provide the community with multiple opportunities and tools to stay informed. For the latest construction information, you can:

· Call the SR 520 24-hour construction hotline at 206-708-4657 if you need to reach a project member immediately to address a construction issue or concern.

·Sign up to receive regular construction email updates. Look for the new alert called “SR 520 West Approach Bridge North Project” located under the “Construction Reports” section.

· Attend the public open house and monthly construction update meetings with our contractor, Flatiron West, Inc. Meeting dates and locations to be announced soon. Sign up for the construction email updates for more information.

We understand that those who live, work and play in the area will be affected by major construction activities needed to build this project. We thank the public in advance for your patience as we work to replace the existing vulnerable structure.

The end result

The West Approach Bridge North will have solid columns and be built to modern seismic standards. The 1.2-mile-long structure will connect the new floating bridge’s three westbound lanes, including a dedicated transit/HOV lane and shoulders, to the Montlake interchange in Seattle. WABN will also extend a new 14-foot-wide regional bicycle/pedestrian path from the Eastside and floating bridge to Montlake and the University of Washington.

The new bridge will open to traffic in summer 2017.

For more information about the WABN design and how it will connect with the new floating bridge see the WABN folio online.

You can also watch our video which highlights the benefits of the completed project to the SR 520 corridor and the entire region.

Thank you again for your ongoing support in delivering this next critical phase of construction for the SR 520 corridor.

King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) crews and contractors are responding to a sinkhole that was reported May 31, along 40th Avenue near East Olive Street in Madison Valley.

Crews came to cover the sinkhole with steel plates for safety reasons, and traffic flow can continue through the neighborhood. Community outreach employees with WTD are going door-to-door along 40th Avenue to provide information about the work that will be taking place in the neighborhood to repair the sinkhole.

The sinkhole is approximately five feet wide and four feet deep, and surrounding a WTD manhole cover. Crews have not yet determined the cause of the sinkhole, and don’t believe that the sewer line running down 40th Avenue is broken.

There are several buried pipes that run through the area, including sewer and water pipes, and it has not yet been determined whether one of the pipes has broken.

Have you seen those pint-sized white and blue “smart” cars around town? Car2Go is a new business in Seattle that changes the model for car sharing services: the best feature of Car2Go is that you can take it on a one-way trip. In contrast, competitor Zipcar requires users to pick up and drop off a car in its designated parking space. Car2Go’s flexibility means that you can walk or take the bus out to a concert, and grab a car for the late-night drive home. Best of all, leave the car parked in front of your house for the next C2G customer to pick up when she needs it.

You can find and reserve a car on the website or through the handy mobile app, or simply walk up to a car and hold your membership card over the reader unit on the windshield to activate the rental. Ready to go! You can also make “stopovers” along the way – handy if you’re using the car to run errands or go shopping – simply take the keys with you so another person doesn’t take the car in the middle of your trip.

There are some rules about where you can park the car at the end of your trip, but with a service area that runs down to Beacon Hill, out to West Seattle, and up to N. 130th Street, there are plenty of places to take a Car2Go. Just don’t leave the car in a bus zone or a commercial lot! On the bright side, you can park in a 2-hour metered parking space without having to feed the meter.

If you seldom need a vehicle, Car2Go is a reasonably priced alternative to owning a car or paying downtown parking fees. The service costs 38 cents per minute, up to $14 an hour. Gas, insurance, and maintenance are all included. There is a one-time fee of $35 to sign up, but they offer occasional promotions that reduce the registration fee or give you free driving minutes as a bonus.

There are already over 300 Car2Go cars in Seattle. With so many of these little smarts tooling around our neighborhood, you are sure to find one when you need it!

Recent queries about Rapid Ride expansion and the state funding mess — a matter of politics and budgeting issues — have put Metro Transit and our local bus service back in the news.

I, like many of you, ride the Route 11 East Madison bus, and use Metro for work, shopping and appointments. Our bus service has seen a few improvements over the years: air conditioning, no more loops to West Seattle, some faster service during peak hours (funded by the City of Seattle), and added Sunday morning service. But you’re in real trouble if you expect Metro to meet its published schedule, and reliability hasn’t improved despite the fact that the #11 no longer goes to West Seattle.

I inquired about our level of service and the expansion of RapidRide on East Madison recently, and here is what I found.

Several years ago I attended a Metro presentation on a plan to replace our bus with RapidRide, but given everything I’ve been able to learn from Metro, Madison Valley and Madison Park are no longer included in the plans. RapidRide would have offered us 15-minute service and route changes but the change would also have resulted in fewer bus stops — this is how they speed up service! One has only to look at the distance between bus stops on MLK to see the problem.

The biggest challenge for Metro today is the 17% revenue shortfall. Route 11 is on the list of lines that may face reduced service as early as next year. Since the state funding has not come through, King County may have no other options but to reduce service. There have been four fare increases in the last few years. Service cuts and fare increases could mean more people forced into cars — causing more traffic congestion in Seattle!

Online services such as OneBusAway for smart phones have helped when the service was up and receiving reliable bus locations from Metro. For those in Madison Park, this service loses the bus once it is in the Park and only starts working when the bus is about a minute from your stop. Thankfully, OneBusAway works for other East Madison bus stops.

So the question is, if you ride the bus, can you deal with reduced bus service on the 11 and all areas Metro services? Several years ago at a Metro presentation, one attendee was fine if the bus didn’t show or was late — her response was to take a good book for reading. I know this won’t do for those who use the bus to get to work or appointments!

This is not the time to be reducing bus service in Seattle, especially since so many of us today are dependent on it. We must be working together to improve service such as offering 20-minute service on the #11 all day, rather than 15-minute service during peak and 30-minute in off peak.

I feel that the Community Councils that represent the communities on East Madison should be working together with King County Metro and the City of Seattle to insure that we maintain a usable level of service and not go the route of Pierce County transit. I must also ask, why is the City of Seattle working on the expansion of street cars lines on Broadway and elsewhere when Metro is facing a 17% cut in funding and service?

What do the communities on East Madison have to say about their bus service?